Knife drawer unit



June 17, 1958 P. c. CULVER 2,839,349

KNIFE DRAWER UNIT Filed June 24. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOA June 17, 1958 P. c. CULVER 2,839,349

KNIFE DRAWER UNIT Filed June 24. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Unit d States Patent KNIFE DRAWER UNIT Paul C. Culver, Crisfield, Md., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Leo Lemchen and Matthew A. Waimon, both of East Orange, N. 1.

Application June 24, 1954, Serial No. 439,047

1 Claim. (Cl. 312-323) This invention relates to kitchen accessories and more particularly to a compartmented member for supporting a plurality of knives for convenient access.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a knife holder unit in the form of a drawer or tray and which may be so made that it may be readily attached to the underside of a kitchen cabinet, table, or other support in a manner to safely house and contain A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the application of the invention, with the drawer projected.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the complete frame and drawer unit.

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. a

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the lin 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section view showing the forward end of the frame and the tilted drawer in dotted lines and at its point of maximum outward travel.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the drawer.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the frame without the drawer.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

As will be observed from Fig. 1, the present unit includes a frame A and a drawer B, the said frame A being intended to be attached to the underside of a support, such for example as a kitchen cabinet C.

With reference to the frame A, it will be observed from Figs. 1 and 8 that the same includes a pair of side wall members 1 and 2 which are of substantially channel shape in cross section, with their upper and lower flanges 3 and 4 turned inward. The upper flanges 3 are connected by the transverse straps 5, and the lower flanges are connected by the transverse straps 6. It may also be noted that the upper flanges 3, which are wider than the lower flanges 4, are provided with openings 3a to receive suitable fastenings for connecting the unit to a support.

The side walls 1 and 2 are formed with complementary guide or track portions 7 and 8, the major portions of which are horizontal, but whose front ends curve downwardly in an are as indicated at 7a and 8a. The inner faces of the side walls carry the abutments or stops S.

P a w The drawer B is provided with a bottom. wall 9, side walls 10 and 11, back wall 12 and a front wall 13, the latter extending below the side walls 11 as indicated at 14 to provide a finger grip.

Each of the sides 10 and 11 are provided at their rear ends with the extensions 15. These extensions are of less height than the related sides, and the upper edges are formed at an angle as indicated at 16 to provide tilting clearance. The lower ends of the extensions are provided with shoulders 17 which cooperate with the stop abutments S as shown for example in Figs. 4 and 5.

Each of the side walls 10 and 11 of the drawer is provided with a roller 18 which is intended to ride in the related tracks 7a and 8a, and the tail portions of the extensions are'equipped with the relatively flat slack take-up buttons 19 which limit lateral movement of the drawer about a vertical axis intersecting the axis of rollers 18 when the drawer is being moved along the tracks 7 and 8.

The stops S, rollers 18 and slack take-up buttons 19 are preferably made of non-metallic material having lubricious characteristics to facilitate the free sliding of the drawer in the frame.

The interior of the drawer is provided transversely thereof with a knife rack 20 having a plurality of cross slots for receiving the blades of the knives.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides a self-contained unit which may be handled and applied, as such, to a convenient support. For example, at the time .of installation, the drawer B may be removed from the frame A and screws or like fastenings may be passed through the opening 3a into the support. The drawer B may then be placed in the frame by placing the rollers 18 in the tracks or channels 7-7a and 88a. When the drawer is pulled fully outwardly the shoulders 17 will engage with the stop abutments S as the rollers 18 ride in 7a and 8a. When the shoulders 17 engage the stops S, the drawer is tilted downwardly so that the upper corner or tip 16a of the extension 15 will strike against the underside of the upper flanges 3 of the frame and hold the drawer in the position shown in Fig. 1 until it is desired to re-close the same. In closing, the front end of the drawer is lifted and pushed inwardly as the rollers 18 move into the horizontal portions of the tracks 7 and 8.

I claim:

A cutlery holder unit, including, in combination, a skeleton metal frame open at the top, bottom, front and back, comprising, spaced side walls of channel formation providing inwardly directed upper and lower flanges, guides integrally pressed outwardly of the side walls forming tracks including horizontal rear portions and downwardly inclined front portions, a pair of rear transverse strap members in vertical registry and rigidly connecting the rear portions of the upper and lower flanges of the side walls, a pair of front straps connecting the front portions of the upper and lower flanges, the front strap connecting the lower flanges being offset inwardly of the upper front strap to provide drawer stop abutment clearance, a stop abutment on the inner face of each side wall and located in a vertical plane between the front oil'set straps and adjacent and below the downwardly inclined portions of the said integrally pressed outwardly guides, a drawer slidable in said frame and having a bottom wall, a rear wall and a front wall whose inner face engages the upper front strap of the frame to limit inward movement of the drawer, said drawer also having side walls provided with extensions projecting beyond the useable storage space of the drawer as defined by said rear wall, a roller on each side wall adjacent the respective extension for travelling in a related guide, each extension having a vertical edge disposed below the bottom wall of said drawer and providing a stop shoulder for engagement with said stop abutments when the drawer is pulled fully out of the frame and the rollers rest in the terminal portions of the downturned guides and the upper corners of extensions engage beneath the upper flanges of the frame, and the rear end of each extension being provided with a relatively flat adjustable take-up button cooperating with the respective frame side wall members for limiting lateral movement of the drawer about a vertical axis intersecting the axis of said rollers when the drawer is being moved along the guides.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Horner Dec. 19, 1905 Kurz May 26, 1908 Gillespie Mar. 18, 1913 Mayne Jan. 16, 1917 Wray Jan. 28,1941

Runyen Dec. 5, 1950 

